Roy E. DISNEY'S Pyewacket owns most of the major offshore racing records for east and west of North America and points in between, but its next win against Philippe KAHN'S Pegasus will be its first.

The rivalry stands at 2-0 after last weekend's XIII annual Coastal Cup race when Pegasus 77, a Reichel/Pugh 77, ran away from Pyewacket, an R/P 75, in the record time of 26 hours 24 minutes 55 seconds for the Encinal Yacht Club's 360-nautical mile race from San Francisco to Santa Catalina Island. With early strong winds fading to a drifter, Pyewacket dropped out 25 miles from the finish 2 1/2 hours after Pegasus 77 had finished. "We got lucky on this race," Kahn said. "It won't be the same at [Transpac]."

Both boats blew out spinnakers in the early blustery stages of the race with winds around 30 knots and gusts to 40. But the result set the stage for an epic 2,225-mile match race starting July 6 from the Palos Verdes Peninsula south of Los Angeles. Pegasus beat Pyewacket by 63 minutes in the 2001 Transpac, although it was about 15 hours shy of Pyewacket's race record of 7 1/2 days set in '99. Kahn sailed a different Pegasus---the former '95 Barn Door winner, Cheval---to fifth place in Division 1 in '99.

For the Coastal Cup, both boats were in the full, faster "turbo" configurations they'll enjoy this year. Transpacific Yacht Club directors boosted the boundary of performance from the rating limit that had been in force since 1995. Now the big boats can discard internal ballast in favour of slightly heavier ballast bulbs for greater stability, which is especially important during the first two or three days on the wind. When they reach the trade winds they'll fly much larger spinnakers with poles longer than half the boats in the race.

Calculations are that they'll reach Honolulu 14 hours faster than they would in their '01 configurations, but the rivalry will end there. Pyewacket has already been sold as Disney awaits the delivery of his maxZ86 this fall, and Kahn has Pegasus 77 up for sale. Asking price: $1.45 million. "I love Pegasus 77," he said. "She's the best of the three turbo sleds: Pyewacket, Chance and Pegasus 77. We're looking at other options right now." What other options? "It's a secret," Kahn said.

Kahn's company, LightSurf, developed the technology for the popular camera cell phones now flooding the market. He also has found time to campaign a multi-faceted sailing team, Pegasus Racing.

As for this final showdown, he said, "I think that it's a long race against a very good boat, Pyewacket, that is generally favoured to win because they have so much history and sail the boat so much. We are so busy with Finns, Melges, Mumm 30s, Farr 40s and other racing classes that we really sail once a year."

Two years ago Pegasus' Zan DREJES won the Don Vaughn Memorial Trophy as the race's outstanding crew member---the same award he had won with Pyewacket in the previous race. Later, he joked that Pegasus won with "the best crew money can buy."

Kahn said, "They happen to be the best at what they do, all the great sailors on Pegasus 77 are personal friends. I would never hire mercenaries. Many of us snowboard, bike, work out, windsurf and surf together when we have a chance. Yes, it's a great team, but that is because there is quite a bit in common among us."

Besides, Kahn's 13-year-old son, Samuel (a.k.a. "Shark") will be on board again. "Shark is 13, and he is quite a helmsman, as you may have noticed from the Melges 24 results on the West Coast in the last several months," Kahn said. "He's going to drive the boat and do what all on the boat do: grind, trim, tail, clean, et cetera."

Tom Burton (AUS) and Alison Young (GBR) hit the right note in the Laser and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as they took out the top honours and qualification spots to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

It was double Australian gold in the Paralympic classes. Matt Bugg (AUS) came out on top in the 2.4mR whilst London 2012 Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) were triumphant in the two person keelboat.

Lithuania's Juozas Bernotas came out on top in the Men's RS:X whilst Russia's Stefania Elfutina was triumphant in the Women's RS:X. Both sailors claim the first Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots whilst Jock Calvert (AUS) and Joanna Sterling (AUS) picked up the Oceanic spots for the Emirati finale.

There was some fast paced action in the 49er and 49erFX Medal Races at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) and Maia & Ragna Agerup (NOR) claimed the honours and Abu Dhabi final spots.

A tight group of five young Papua New Guinean (PNG) Laser sailors are stepping up their 2015 Pacific Games competition program using this week's ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. PNG is one of 33 countries represented at the important Oceanic event, the largest Olympic sailing regatta in the southern hemisphere.

Nicolai Sehested (DEN) and his TREFOR Match Racing Team clinched victory today at the Energa Sopot Match Race, Poland, the 10th stage and World Championship Event of the 2015 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).

There was no stopping current, and five-time ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar today at the Energa Sopot Match Race as he swiftly dispatched his Quarter Final opponent Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) in three straight wins.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) continues to address concerns and is taking steps to ensure the health and safety of all athletes who will be competing in the upcoming Aquece Rio, Olympic Test Event and the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Veteran Polish match racer and America's Cup helmsman Karol Jablonski skilfully played the gusty conditions today to lead the twelve strong field of teams at the end of Day 2 of Qualifying at the 2015 Energa Sopot Match Race.